


no counting on us

by zenelly



Series: Leopika Week 2018 [6]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, M/M, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 17:10:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenelly/pseuds/zenelly
Summary: For Leopika Week 2018, Day 6 - Wing Fic“Alright, that does it,” Leorio snaps. “Come here and sit down, I am preening you and you will like it.”





	no counting on us

**Author's Note:**

> Is the prompt actually mythology? yes a little bit. Did I just make them all bird laguz and roll with it? also yes.
> 
> For reference though it's never directly stated, Kurapika is a secretary bird. He's undercover okay, shh.

Kurapika never expected to meet anyone quite like Leorio. He had come to this town looking for a specific murder of crows, and when he ran into a tall stranger with huge black wings, he ended up trailing Leorio around for hours. Then Leorio turned to him and offered a place to stay if he would just come out of the shadows already and-

Kurapika went.

Over time, Leorio has become no less of a mystery, never directly stating what kind of bird he is, and Kurapika has learned not to ask. Even if he is a crow, he’s not- he _can’t_ be one of the ones he’s looking for.

(He just _can’t_. Kurapika can’t imagine it at all, hopes desperately that he’s not wrong.)

“You need to take better care of your wings,” Leorio says one day, eyeing them. “They’re turning white in spots.”

Kurapika flinches. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“What, like you handle keeping them clean? Kurapika, I can-“

“Don’t touch me!”

Leorio stops with his hand outstretched and his own wings tucked carefully still against his back, meeting Kurapika’s gaze moment for moment until finally, he lowers his hand and nods. “Alright. If you ever need help-“

“I’ll let you know,” Kurapika answers. “But until then, don’t.”

 

* * *

 

Months pass, and Leorio makes good on his promise. He doesn’t touch Kurapika without permission. In response, Kurapika has allowed himself to relax by degrees, wondering what it would be like to have Leorio’s strong hands sifting through his feathers, helping him to clean up and relax and-

They are thoughts he doesn’t let himself linger on, most days.

But he's slowly coming around to the idea, until he starts bumping into Leorio with his wings, stretching them into his space, trying to test the waters. If Leorio doesn't want to, then he won't ever make him, but.

(But.)

“Alright, that does it,” Leorio snaps. “Come here and sit down, I am preening you and you will like it.”

Kurapika blinks slowly, first at the desk and then up at Leorio, brows furrowing. His wings shift, full of the aggravation he won’t quite let himself display. “There are better ways to ask that, you know.”

“And I’d use them if I thought they’d work. But they don’t. So come here, sit down, and let me preen you.” Kurapika has the irrational urge to hide his wings as Leorio looks them over, a dissatisfied twist to his mouth. Then, gently, Leorio says, “Your feathers are all rucked up.”

That’s a remarkably mild way for Leorio to put it, Kurapika knows. “Rucked up” is what happens after a tough flight with some crosswinds. Kurapika’s wings are practically neglected, cleaned only when he physically cannot fly, because he can’t reach his own tertiary feathers or the small coverts near the center of his back and the memory of his family, bright and colorful, grooming him is still a memory too close.

Leorio, by contrast, never lets his feathers get out of place. His huge black wings are steady and smooth, and Kurapika has watched him do constant checks, realigning feathers with little touches here and there, the same ones he passes on to Gon and Killua any time the two fledglings are within reach.

It should be no big deal to let Leorio do this, Kurapika knows. And it… would feel nice. To not have his feathers so out of place. Sighing, he turns his back to Leorio and sits down carefully.

Leorio is brusque and forward and presumptuous in all the right ways when Kurapika wants him to be, and this is no different, when Leorio presses forward and Kurapika can feel the certain and sure touch of his hands as he sorts through feathers. Kurapika breathes. In, and out. Quietly, with the soft brush of Leorio’s fingers, pushing Kurapika’s wings out so he can fold the feathers in properly.

“The dye on these is coming out,” Leorio says quietly. “Your white is showing through again.”

Probably turning Leorio’s hands brown, too. Kurapika flicks his free wing open, and sure enough. His primaries are as black as ever, but his covert contour feathers are showing more white. Kurapika runs his hands down them, taking off some dye on his own. Brown and black wings aren’t so uncommon, but…

“I can get some more dye here soon.”

Kurapika shakes his head, pressing back into the welcoming warmth of Leorio’s hands. “No. I miss them being white.”

Leorio stills. “You’re sure.”

Kurapika twitches, encouraging Leorio to continue. It feels nice, nicer than he’ll admit, to have Leorio fussing over him like this, and it makes Kurapika want things he’s not sure he can have. “I’m sure.”

 

* * *

 

So it’s startling, eventually, to find Zepile in front of their home (and it is _theirs_ , isn’t it?) with one arm wrapped tightly around Leorio. The magpie just shakes his head when Kurapika tries to ask. “This dumbass decided to fistfight someone in an alleyway. A merlin named Ging? It seemed important, but I’ve never seen him get so riled up.”

Gon’s father. Kurapika doesn’t bother volunteering the information though, choosing to pick Leorio up. He hisses at the state of his wings. “Thank you, for bringing him home.”

“What else was I going to do? Leave a raven to fight a hawk? Terrible plan, really.” Zepile shrugs and waves. “See you around, Kurapika. Take care of him, will you?”

Beneath his arm, Leorio is carefully tense.

The door closes. Kurapika helps Leorio inside, mind spinning. Raven. Of course. He hasn’t made it exactly secret, but Kurapika knows Leorio was hiding this for a reason, and it feels disingenuous to have learned it like this.

“You could have said something, you know,” Kurapika says. The words are difficult to force out, his throat tight as he looks over Leorio’s disheveled wings. He tries so hard to keep them all in line, and this…. Without thinking, Kurapika reaches out and starts smoothing them into place. Leorio jerks. Kurapika ignores him, focusing on the smooth texture of Leorio’s feathers, shifting them to lay properly with gentle movements until he comes across one that’s snapped across the rachis. “This one’s broken,” he warns.

Leorio is quiet for a moment. Then, “Pull it out.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. And come on, what the fuck would I have said?” Leorio’s voice pitches high, sweetly falsetto, “Oh I _know_ you’re looking for crows and I have big black wings, but _I’m_ definitely not a crow, not me, no sir. _I’m_ a raven, you know, just a difference of size.”

Kurapika can’t quite stop his snort as he grasps the feather tightly and pulls it out with a hard twitch from Leorio. Lightly, he says, “I might have mistaken you for a grackle.”

“A _grackle_?” Leorio whirls on him, bristling, but Kurapika can tell it’s all bravado. Leorio just likes puffing himself bigger than he already is. “You couldn’t even mistake me for another corvid? Really? The insult, the audacity, I don’t think I can even bear it.”

“Oh yes, poor you.” Kurapika covers his laugh with his hand as Leorio dramatically flops across the couch. He follows him over, careful to keep their feathers from ruffling even more, even as he gives into the urge to bury his fingers in Leorio’s wings again. “Your wings are very nice, Leorio.”

“I like your wings,” Leorio says plainly.

Kurapika runs a self-conscious hand down his feathers. “Yes, they are quite striking now that-“

“No, I liked them before too. I just,” Leorio sighs, rubbing his hand across his reddening face. “I like you.”

Snorting, Kurapika leans in, presses a kiss to the corner of Leorio’s lips. “I let you groom me, Leorio. I like you too.”


End file.
